The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and systems, and in particular to garments comprising a fabric shell provided with means for receiving a plurality of such, suitably interconnected, electronic devices. The invention further relates to covers, for example protective casings, for such devices.
An example of a protective casing for an electrical device, in this instance a mobile telephone, is described in United Kingdom patent application GB-A-2 305 361 (Wen-Chung Yu and Edvard Rubin). A particular feature of the casing described, which is only partial to permit user access to the telephone controls, is the provision of internal connectors to the power recharging connections of the mobile telephone and their coupling to an electrical connector mounted externally to the casing: by provision of a recharging station with a corresponding electrical connector, the user is enabled to recharge the mobile telephone without removing it from the jacket.
An example of a garment of the type recited in the opening paragraph is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,002 (Kuo et al) which describes a multi-functional garment comprised of an outer shell garment and a number of electronic modules, including heating, communications and display devices.
A further example of a garment of the type recited in the opening paragraph is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,700 (Sato) which describes a personal portable audio device in the form of a garment having a number of pockets for receiving components of the system, with a pair of speakers for reproduction of the audio being provided in the left and right shoulder portions of the garment: the wiring from the audio signal source component to the speakers is hidden within the garment construction, including connectors within the pockets for establishing electrical connection to a device placed therein.
The Sato patent illustrates one means for responding to a problem of interconnectionxe2x80x94namely the wearer of the garment becoming entangled in the wiring interconnecting the various modules or components. Hiding the wiring within the garment itself, and the interconnections to such wiring within the pockets, can lead to further problems. In order to permit repeated cleaning of the garment, whether by dry cleaning or conventional laundry, the electrical devices should be simply removable from the garment. This is in conflict, however, with the need to ensure that the devices are securely held, particularly in the case of garments for sporting activities where there is a risk of the devices falling out of open pockets, but also through a need to maintain contact with the garment-hosted conductors.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a garment which addresses the problem of making removal and/or replacement of devices relatively simple.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a garment comprising a fabric shell hosting one or more electrical conductors the or each of which is connectable to at least one of a plurality of electronic devices housed in respective pockets of said fabric shell;
wherein said device respective pockets are detachable from said fabric shell, each pocket comprising a fabric cover provided with mechanical connector means, the garment fabric shell being provided with complementary mechanical connector means to enable said fabric cover and device to be removably attached to said garment, each pocket further comprising means to establish electrical connection between a device in that pocket and one or more of said electrical conductors. By making the pockets themselves removable from the garment, rather than requiring the devices to be simply removed therefrom, the present invention provides for the security of attachment of the electronic device to the garment to be determined by the mechanical means holding the pocket in place, rather than by the mechanical security of the in-pocket electrical connection means (as with the above-mentioned Sato system).
The aforesaid means to establish electrical connection may comprise a simple aperture in the pocket fabric cover to permit access to the device electrical connections, although this could leave the device electrical connections exposed and vulnerable. Preferably, however, the means to establish connection comprises an adaptor cable extending from within the pocket to outside, the end of the cable within the pocket having connector means enabling electrical connection to a device within the pocket and the outside end of the adaptor cable being provided with means enabling electrical connection to one or more of said electrical conductors. With such an arrangement, disconnection of the electrical device in the pocket may easily be accomplished without removal of the device from the pocket, as the adaptor cable, pocket, and electrical device could simply be removed as a single unit. To further facilitate this, the means enabling electrical connection between the outside end of the adaptor cable and one or more of said electrical conductors suitably comprises a matched plug and socket pair.
As will be described in fuller detail hereinafter, one or more of the pockets may be attached to the garment, and the fabric shell so configured, that a user is enabled to move the pocket from a first position external to the fabric shell to a second position concealed within an aperture in the shell without disconnection of said complementary mechanical means.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cover for an electrical device having the technical features of a pocket as described above. Unlike the telephone cover of Yu and Rubin mentioned previously, such a cover is suitable for incorporation as a part of a garment, as well as providing means for establishing electrical connection (not just for power recharging) to a covered device. Such a cover may be so shaped as to have a first compartment for receiving an electrical device and one or more further compartments, accessible by a user, for the storage of other items, particularly but not exclusively items associated with the electrical device. For example, such a removable pocket may have a first compartment housing a MiniDisc(trademark) player and a second compartment for holding one or more MiniDiscs to be played.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the following description of preferred embodiments, and are defined in the attached claims, to which reference should now be made, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.